Jupiter and Venus share the stage

A rare positioning of planets Venus (left) and Jupiter (right) and the crescent moon of the Earth provides a 'smiley' effect that has captivated world audiences [AFP]

Striking planetary groupings have held special meaning to ancient astronomers [EPA]

Astronomers refer to this rare phenomenon as an "occultation," taken from the Latin word occultare, which means "to conceal" [AFP]

The next time the three will be as close and visible as this week will be in 2052 [EPA]

A three-day-old crescent Moon with the planets Jupiter and Venus are seen close together over the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem [EPA]

The three celestial objects come together from time to time, but often they are too close to the sun or unite at a time when they aren't so visible [EPA]

The alignment of Venus, Jupiter and the moon formed a smiley over Beirut's landmark Mohammed al-Amin mosque [AFP]

The moon is the brightest, closest and smallest of the three and is 405,554km away. Venus, the second brightest, closest and smallest, is 151.278 million km away. And big Jupiter is 869.045 million km away [AFP]